One of the stolen vehicles recovered in the Tamarac operation [BSO]
By Kevin Deutsch
Reacting to a string of car thefts in Tamarac, Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies recently conducted an operation that resulted in 17 arrests, the recovery of several stolen vehicles, and the seizure of several firearms, authorities said Tuesday.
Beginning on Jan. 21, BSO detectives and Tamarac District deputies made the theft-related arrests, recovered seven stolen cars, and seized three guns in the Tamarac operation, according to BSO.
Information gathered during the operation also allowed BSO to help with investigations into similar criminal activity in BSO’s North Lauderdale District, Margate, and Miami, the agency said.
Two of the firearms seized in the Tamarac operation [BSO]
According to investigators, many of the auto crimes in Tamarac involved juveniles and happened during the late night or overnight hours in the west side of the city, along the Rock Island Road corridor. The crimes do not appear to be part of an organized ring, according to BSO.
In one of the Tamarac cases, detectives said they recovered a device that allows thieves to program or clone a key fob for virtually any vehicle.
Detectives and deputies from BSO’s Tamarac District Criminal Investigative Division and Tamarac District Crime Suppression Team made the arrests in the case.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 1 million vehicles were stolen in the U.S. in 2022, costing vehicle owners more than $8 billion.
BSO detectives said car owners should consider parking their car in a garage or using an immobilizing device on their steering wheel as a theft prevention method. They also advised vehicle owners never to leave their car doors unlocked or their keys, fobs, valuables, or firearms inside their cars. Vehicle owners also should never leave their garage door openers in their cars, according to BSO.
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